CREATURE

BY TIMOTHY SHAW

I’m the same as you,
So why do you call me creature,
Is it my battle scars or tattoos
Some other physical feature?

Let me be our voice,
Give me a second to be preacher.
I know that you might know everything,
But for a moment let me be teacher.

Follow me and take my hand,
Be as open minded as you can.
As I take you on this journey through this foreign land,
Where you might see caged animals, but a man is still a man.

I know strong men, walking through this jungle,
Who still strive to get an education,
You ever had to dodge quick sand & study,
That’s drive and dedication.

I know this land, filled with men some call father,
Who didn’t give me life, so why bother?
But those same men would probably catch you before you stumble,
And probably feed you before they hear your stomach grumble.

So please tell me what kind of monster
or creature is that —
Do you picture me as some type of animal,
Hunched over biting through the gristle and the fat?

You’re mistaken my friend, because in the end,
A man is still a man,
No tail or horns, not a lion nor a ram,
More than meets the eyes if that’s what you call creature, well than here I am. | TS

TIMOTHY SHAW HAS RECENTLY BECOME A FIRST-TIME FATHER TO A TWO-MONTH OLD SON. HE KNOWS IT IS TIME TO CHANGE HIS OLD WAYS AND HABITS, SO HE CAN BREAK THE CYCLE OF INCARCERATION IN HIS FAMILY.